Carrefour puts its back into it!

Posted on | September 14, 2005

 

Look, so everthing is clear… I have nothing against supermarkets in general and Carrefour in particular. One, I do my shopping there every week. Two, to reveal all, I even wrote, for several years, the copy for the catalogues «Foire aux Vins». But it was at the time when those responsible for quality liked wine (Christophe, Franck, if you are reasding this…), believing that their clients liked it also and worked in consequence, that’s to say with passion. It’s another story, I will tell you about it another day.

But this morning, rage: in my TV magazine, a publicity insert of 24 pages (imagine what that costs?) shows off a post-holiday initiative pompously entitled «3 for 2».

I think to myself, attracted, let’s see what kind of wines… because I don’t know if you know, but Carrefour, I believe, is the number buyer of wine in France. It’s an extravagant team. Managers everywhere, buyers, marketing, publicity, paid salaries which you can’t even imagine. External advice agencies. Independent consultants. Buyers in every region. Bottling plants. Subsidiary shops. A big noise, what. And then, since we’re talking turkey, an enormous purchasing power, in front of which everyone kowtows.

So, let me show you «Seduction Lesson Number 1».of the post-holiday bonanza…

This: -

- A ‘vins de pays’, without doubt bought in bulk and bottled themselves, which for 1.40 euros, they must really lose money.

- A brand from Bordeaux: that’s a discovery, a new thing..

- A Minervois rosè, story of celebrating the post-holidays whilst nibbling a Chinese dish or tomatoe-mozarella.

It really makes one want to… at a time when hundreds of ‘vignerons’ (and not the bad ones, let’s be clear) are ready to make efforts to selll their product, when things are modernising, when magazines are full of fresh new sexy wines (see the last ‘Terre de Vins’, for example) don’t tell me that that they couldn’t have found something a little more exciting.

Me, it makes me slightly afraid and explains lots, in particular sloth, the absence of competence and the lack of creativity, in all channels, even in the molly-coddled offices and not only in production.

PS After re-reading this, I thought compassionately of the poor shelf stackers, often quite passionate, who will pass their morning putting these wines on display. Sick at heart, friends, we’ll win in the end!

Hervè Bizeul 

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